Test often

Testing is one of the most important things you can do to help end HIV in New Zealand. A lot of new transmissions come from people who don’t know their HIV status and aren’t on treatment, so testing often is important. Get a full STI screen at least twice a year if you haven’t been using condoms during sex.

Testing is one of the most important things you can do to help end HIV in New Zealand. A lot of new transmissions come from people who don’t know their HIV status and aren’t on treatment, so testing often is important. Get a full STI screen at least twice a year if you haven’t been using condoms during sex.

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Test for HIV at least twice a year

If you think that you might be at risk of HIV, the only way to find out for sure whether you are positive is to get tested.

Click the button below to book a free, confidential HIV test on the Ending HIV website. You have the option to order a free home testing kit if you can’t make it into a clinic. If you have any issues getting access to a home testing kit please contact Judith Mukakayange – phone 021350671 or email [email protected]

Three reasons to get tested for HIV

You can get tested for HIV at your GP as part of a full STI screen. If you go down this route, you’ll need to pay GP fees, and the test results will take about a week to arrive. You can also get tested at the NZAF for free. If you test at the NZAF you will get your results more quickly. Home testing for HIV has also recently become available.

HIV testing is 100% confidential

HIV testing is fast. You can get your results in as little as 20 minutes if you go through NZAF or Sexual Health Clinics

If you do test positive, you will be linked to treatment and support straight away

How often to test for HIV

If you are regularly having unprotected sex, testing for HIV should be something that you do every three months.

The ‘window period’ is the time between when you first pick up HIV and when the virus shows up in a regular test for HIV – usually between 4 to 12 weeks.

This amount of time can vary between people. It’s important to be aware of the window period – and if you think you may have HIV – test again once it has passed, to make sure you have the right result.